In soccer, fullbacks protect the goal. Midfielders occupy the area between fullbacks and forwards. Forwards generally focus on attacking the other team's goal, though they might fall back to help defend on occasion. Forwards shoot at the goal more often than players at the other positions, so they must have powerful, accurate shots and excellent ball-handling skills.
Wingers
Forwards who stay near the sides of the field are called wingers. Their responsibility is to receive passes from the midfielders and bring the ball the rest of the way up the field toward the other team's goal. Typically, defenders must stay near the center of the field to prevent attacks on goal, so wingers attempt to penetrate along the sides. When they are in position, they try to deliver a high pass over the defensive players and into the goal area.
Strikers
Strikers stay in the center of the field, often in the goal area, to receive passes from the midfielders and the wingers. The primary responsibility of strikers is to score a goal. When midfielders and wingers pass the ball to forwards, they typically use high, arcing passes, so forwards must trap the ball to control it and then take a shot on goal. Gaining control of the ball gives a player time to analyze the goalkeeper's position and aim a shot carefully at an undefended portion of the goal.
Scoring
An effective shooting technique forwards often use is the one-touch shot, or volley shot. As the ball drops in front of the goal, a forward gets into position to deflect the ball into the goal without taking time to trap and control it. The maneuver happens so quickly that goalkeepers have difficulty getting into position in time to block the shot.
Other Responsibilities
During a corner kick, all the positions push forward to apply maximum pressure to the other team's defense. A winger usually performs the corner kick and attempts to drop the ball where the forwards or the midfielders can shoot it into the goal. Forwards who stay in the goal area sometimes try to draw fouls, meaning they try to get defenders to perform illegal tackles so they can earn a penalty shot, which is a shot taken at the goal from the penalty spot -- typically 12 yards away from the goal -- with only the goalkeeper defending the net.
Member Comments